14:30

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

30a
A tranquil heart is life to the body,

30b but envy rots the bones.

14:30a

A tranquil heart: In Hebrew, the heart represents mainly the mind and intellect, though here the emotions may be more prominent. See the note on 10:20b.

The phrase translated here as A tranquil heart refers to a calm, contented state of mind. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

A heart at peace (New International Version)
-or-
A calm disposition (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
A relaxed attitude (New Living Translation (1996))

is life to the body: This phrase refers primarily to improving a person’s physical health. So you may specify body if it is natural in your language. For example:

Peace of mind makes the body healthy (Good News Translation)

But this word also includes a person’s emotional/mental health, so a general expression is also very acceptable. For example:

A calm and contented attitude will improve a person’s health

14:30b

but envy rots the bones: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as envy can mean either “envy/jealousy” or “passionate zeal.” There are two interpretations:

(1) The meaning here is “envy/jealousy.” It refers to a strong desire to have what belongs to someone else. For example:

but jealousy is like bone cancer (God’s Word)

(2) The meaning here is “passionate zeal.” With this sense, it usually refers to a strong desire to do what is right or to defend a cause. That meaning does not fit this context, so versions that follow this interpretation use the more general term “passion.” For example:

but passion makes the bones rot (New Revised Standard Version)

(NASB95, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. This is the most common sense of the word and forms a good parallel with 14:30a. Also, the word “passion” often has a sexual connotation. This connotation is quite different from the positive connotation of “passionate zeal.”

rots the bones: For this expression, see the note on the almost identical expression in 12:4b, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as “decay in his bones.” The bones were regarded as the source of the body’s health and strength. So this expression compares envy to a disease which slowly but steadily takes away a person’s health and strength. A modern equivalent of this condition might be cancer.

General Comment on 14:30a–b

In these parallel lines, the words “body” and “bones” function together to describe a person’s overall health. In some languages, it may be more natural and effective to make this explicit. For example:

30a If a person stays calm, it will improve his health.

30b If he is full of envious feelings, his health will steadily be destroyed, just as cancer destroys the bones.

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